CARIBBEAN FOOD CROPS SOCIETY. Forty Fifth. Annual Meeting 2009

Transcription

1 CARIBBEAN FOOD CROPS SOCIETY SERVING THE CARIBBEAN SINCE 1963 CARIBBEAN FOOD CROPS SOCIETY 45 Forty Fifth Annual Meeting 2009 Frigate Bay Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis Vol. XLV Number 2

2 PROCEEDINGS OF THE 45 th ANNUAL MEETING Caribbean Food Crops Society 45 th Annual Meeting July 12 to 17, 2009 St. Kitts Marriot Resort and Royal Beach Casino Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis "Reality and Potential of Food Security and Agricultural Diversification in Small Island Developing States" "Realidad y Potencial de la Seguridad Alimentaria y la Diversification Agricola en Pequenos Estados Insulares en Desarollo" "Sécurité alimentaire et diversification agricole dans les petits états insulaires en développement: realizations et perspectives" Edited by Wanda I. Lugo and Wilfredo Colon Published by the Caribbean Food Crops Society ι

3 Caribbean Food Crops Society, 2009 ISSN Copies of this publication may be obtained from: Secretariat, CFCS P.O. Box San Juan, Puerto Rico Mention of company and trade names does not imply endorsement by the Caribbean Food Crops Society. The Caribbean Food Crops Society is not responsible for statements and opinions advanced in this meeting or printed in its proceedings; they represent the views of the individuals to whom they are credited and are not binding on the Society as a whole. 11

4 Proceedings of the Caribbean Food Crops Society. 45: INTERNATIONAL MAIL AS A PATHWAY FOR THE MOVEMENT OF EXOTIC PLANT PESTS INTO AND WITHIN THE GREATER CARIBBEAN REGION L. Ferguson, A. Lemay, and H. Meissner. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, 1730 Varsity Dr., Suite 300, Raleigh, NC ABSTRACT: The objective of this study was to evaluate the risk of pest movement associated with the international mail pathway in the Greater Caribbean Region (GCR 6 ). We examined data on materials of phytosanitary significance (MPS) intercepted in mail, and developed suggestions for improved safeguarding. Of packages sent to the United States from worldwide origins, 2.7% of public and 5.6% of private mail packages contained MPS. Of packages sent from GCR origins by public and private mail, 3.3% and 1.6%, respectively, contained MPS. The United States receives more public than private mail. In other GCR countries, however, private postal services dominate the parcel market. High-risk items found in mail included propagative materials (1/3 of intercepted materials) and live insects. Fresh fruits, vegetables, soil, and wood items were also intercepted. We estimated that the GCR (excluding the United States) may annually receive over 14,000 mail packages containing MPS, with up to 4,000 of these being propagative materials. International mail may be the pathway of choice for intentional smuggling of high-risk items. This work was carried out in the framework of the CISWG Caribbean Pathway Analysis. The complete report can be accessed at: Keywords: Mail, Propagative, Exotic pest, Quarantine INTRODUCTION Public and private postal services are an often overlooked pathway for the movement of plant pests. Almost any item can be sent by mail, either legally or illegally. Controlling mail contents presents an immense challenge to any country. Various studies in the United States have shown that live plants and plant pests are being shipped by mail, often in connection with mail-order purchases (Keller and Lodge, 2007; Zhuikov, 2008). On-line shopping is on the rise, spurring an increase in postal activity. Our goal was to evaluate the risk of pest movement associated with the international mail pathway in the GCR, to assess the most important parts of the pathway (public vs. private) and to evaluate the types of MPS moving through mail. MATERIALS AND METHODS We used data collected from U.S. ports of entry (WADS-USDA, 2008) to estimate approach rates of materials of phytosanitary significance (MPS) arriving in mail in the United States. Port-of-entry data were collected through a detailed inspection of randomly selected sampling units; i.e., they are unbiased and thus suitable for risk quantification. These data were collected at 11 U.S. ports of entry from 2005 through MPS are defined as any plants, plant parts, or plant pests (arthropods, nematodes, mollusks, weeds, pathogens). The MPS approach rate is the percentage of sampling units in which MPS are found. Estimates are presented as 95% binomial confidence intervals, i.e., the limits within which the actual approach rates lie with 95 percent certainty (Steel et al., 1997). 6 The Greater Caribbean Region (GCR) is defined as all countries bordering the Caribbean Sea, plus the Bahamas, Turks and Caicos, El Salvador, Suriname, Guyana, and the U.S. Gulf States (Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas). 183

5 RESULTS A large variety of plant materials and some insects were intercepted in both public and private international mail entering the United States (Table 1). When considering mail of worldwide origin, private mail had almost double the MPS approach rate of public mail (Table 2). The same tendency was seen with mail of Caribbean origin, though the difference was not statistically significant. The degree to which mail is inspected varies widely within the GCR, from 100% in some countries to minimal inspection in others. We estimated that the GCR (excluding the United States) may annually receive over 14,000 public mail packages containing MPS, with up to 4,000 of these being propagative materials (Table 3). We do not have statistics on private mail volumes, but market studies suggest that 10 percent of packages are moved by public mail in the GCR, while 90 percent are moved by private mail (e.g., FedEx, UPS, and DHL) 7 (UPU, 2007). Whether the intercepted MPS constitute a threat would vary from case to case, depending on the MPS and the country of destination. CONCLUSIONS The data available for the evaluation of pest risk associated with mail is very limited. However, our analysis indicates that the pest risk posed by international mail may be significant for at least some countries of the GCR. More research should be carried out on this pathway. In the meantime, we offer the following suggestions for improved safeguarding of mail: Establish mail inspection systems in countries where they do not yet exist. Post educational information at mail facilities to increase public awareness of phytosanitary regulations for mail. Conduct periodic data collection efforts at mail facilities for the purpose of risk quantification. Record data on pest interceptions in mail. Collect and archive data on pest and quarantine material interceptions in mail. Ideally, the database, or at least the format of the database, should be region-wide. Implement package tracking and tracing technology at mail facilities. Use appropriate inspection technology (e.g., x-ray systems) at mail facilities. Use detector dogs at mail facilities. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We thank all our numerous colleagues in the GCR and in USDA-APHIS who shared data, answered questions, hosted site visits, or reviewed our analysis. REFERENCES Keller, R.P. and D.M. Lodge Species invasions from commerce in live aquatic organisms: problems and possible solutions. Bioscience 57: Meissner, H. A. Lemay, L. Ferguson, Κ. Schwartzburg, C. Bertone, and L. Newton Caribbean Pathway Analysis. USDA-APHIS. Steel, R.G.D., J.H. Torrie, and D.A. Dickey Principles and Procedures of Statistics: A Biometrical Approach. McGraw-Hill, New York. UPU Development plan for the postal sector and postal services in the Caribbean, pp. 36. Universal Postal Union. UPU Postal statistics (Available at: USDA Agricultural Quarantine Activity Systems-WADS. USDA-APHIS-PPQ. Zhuikov, M Guarding water gardens against invasive species. NOAA Research. 7 These companies are not the only private mail carriers, but are among the most prominent worldwide. Full company names are: FedEx = FedEx Corporation, UPS = United Parcel Service of America, Inc., DHL = DHL International, Ltd. 184

6 Table 1. Relative frequency of packages found to contain MPS during data collection at 11 U.S. ports of entry, (USDA, 2008). Origin: Worldwide Origin: GCR (Except United States) Item Public mail Sample size: 2,042 Private mail Sample size: 1,042 Public mail Sample size: 77 Private mail Sample size: 386 Seeds, pods 20% 24% 12% 5% Propagative plant materials 9% 3% 6% 4% Soil 1% 7% 1% 9% Fruits, fresh 11% 7% 16% 5% Fresh plant material 8% 7% 9% 2% Grains, grain products 3% 2% 9% 0% Vegetables, fresh 3% 4% 8% 3% Wood, wood items 2% 20% 4% 23% Straw, hay 1% 0% 0% 0% Honey, honey combs 0% 2% 0% 1% Coffee, tea 6% 13% 9% 30% Vegetables, dried or preserved Herbs, spices, & flowers, dried or processed Fruits, dried, preserved, processed 2% 1% 0% 0% 16% 3% 8% 4% 10% 4% 16% 3% Miscellaneous 3% 1% 1% 1% Mushrooms 3% 0% 0% 0% Nuts 3% 3% 1% 6% Insects 0% 1% 0% 3% 185

7 Table 2. Inspection results for mail packages arriving in the United States ( ) (USDA, 2008). Origin: Worldwide Origin: GCR (Except United States) Public mail Private mail Public mail Private mail Packages inspected 76,132 18,455 2, Packages with MPS 2,042 1, MPS approach rates 8 (95% binomial confidence interval) 2.7% ( %) 5.6% ( %) 0.8% ( %) 1.6% ( %) Table 3. Number of public mail packages of worldwide origin received in GCR countries (UPU, 2008) and estimated number of packages arriving with plant materials or plant pests (based on approach rate of 2.6 to 2.8%). Country 9 Packages received Estimated packages with plant materials/plant pests (95 percent binomial confidence interval) Year of data Anguilla 1, Antigua and Barbuda 14, Aruba 7, Bahamas 35, Barbados 46,717 1,215-1, Belize 33, Cayman Islands 29, Costa Rica 29, Cuba 4, Dominica 8, Dominican Republic 15, El Salvador 29, Grenada 8, Guatemala 21, Guyana 12, Haiti 3, Jamaica 83,432 2,169-2, The approach rate is the percentage of randomly inspected packages that contained plant materials. Worldwide approach rates were calculated using interceptions of any plant material/pest, and approach rates for the GCR were based on interceptions of plant materials/pests of U.S. quarantine significance. The approach rate is usually given with a 95% binomial confidence limit (the limit within which the true approach rate falls with a 95% likelihood). 9 No data for Guadeloupe, Honduras, Martinique, Saint-Barthélemy, St. Martin, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. 186

8 Country 9 Packages received Estimated packages with plant materials/plant pests (95 percent binomial confidence interval) Year of data Montserrat 1, Netherland Antilles 29, Nicaragua 4, Panama (Rep.) 28, St. Kitts and Nevis 11, Saint Lucia 12, Suriname 4, Trinidad and Tobago 48,900 1,271-1, Turks and Caicos Islands 1, Virgin Islands 6, GCR Total (excluding U.S.) 533,680 13,876-14,